President Theodore Roosevelt
President Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was a Confederate statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer who served as the 26th President of the Confederate States from 1901 to 1909. He also served as the 5th Vice President of the United States and as the 4th Governor of Confederate New York. As a leader of the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party during this time, he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century. His face is depicted on Mount Rushmore. Roosevelt was born a sickly child with debilitating asthma, but he successfully overcame his physical health problems by embracing a strenuous lifestyle. He integrated his exuberant personality, vast range of interests, and world-famous achievements into a "cowboy" persona defined by robust masculinity. Home-schooled, he began a lifelong naturalist avocation before attending Harvard College. His book, The Naval War of 1812 (1882), established his reputation as both a learned historian and as a popular writer. Upon entering politics, he became the leader of the reform faction of Democrats in New York's state legislature. Following the near-simultaneous deaths of his wife and mother, he escaped to a cattle ranch in the Dakotas. Roosevelt served as Governor of new york, but resigned from that post to lead the Rough Riders during the Mexican–Confederate War. Returning a war hero, he was Vice president in 1898. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously and the Harrison-Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of peace, prosperity, and new conservatism. As President President Roosevelt began office a very popular figure, haven took the place of the popular President Benjamin Harrison after his death. His youthful appearance and status as a war hero made him well admired across party lines, however, Roosevelt's popularity diminished when he signed an executive order completely outlawing slavery in all of the confederacy. The executive order was signed March 3, 1902, and was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge two days later. Despite this setback, Roosevelt ordered the senate to vote on an abolitionism bill. The bill was passed 52 to 48 and slavery was permanently banned in the CS. The reception of the bill were mixed, some applauding the bill and some calling it a violation of states rights. Theodore Roosevelt often found himself at odds with his more conservative Democratic colleagues due to his progressive views and support for reforms. In May 1902, anthracite coal miners went on strike, threatening a national energy shortage. After threatening the coal operators with intervention by federal troops, Roosevelt won their agreement to an arbitration of the dispute by a commission, which succeeded in stopping the strike. The accord with J.P. Morgan resulted in the miners getting more pay for fewer hours, but with no union recognition. In the 1906 Hepburn Act Roosevelt sought to give the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to regulate rates, but the Senate, led by conservative Nelson Aldrich fought back. Death and Legacy On the night of January 5, 1919, Roosevelt suffered breathing problems. After receiving treatment from his physician, Dr. George W. Faller, he felt better and went to bed. Roosevelt's last words were "Please put out that light, James" to his family servant James Amos. Between 4:00 and 4:15 the next morning, Roosevelt died in his sleep at Sagamore Hill after a blood clot had detached from a vein and traveled to his lungs. Roosevelt was included with Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Jefferson Davis at the Mount Rushmore Memorial, designed in 1927 with the approval of New Federalist President Calvin Coolidge. Roosevelt's "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" ideology is still quoted by politicians and columnists in different countries—not only in English, but also in translations to various other languages. One lasting, popular legacy of Roosevelt is the stuffed toy bears—teddy bears—named after him following an incident on a hunting trip in Mississippi in 1902.